With Sunday's opening concert, Filharmonie Brno embarked on its seventieth anniversary season and also its eighth led by conductor Dennis Russell Davies. The Kantiléna children's choir is celebrating the same anniversary as Filharmonie Brno, and so the two ensembles coming together for the opening concert of the season was the perfect choice. At the Janáček Theatre this conjunction was provided by Gustav Mahler's monumental Symphony No. 3 in D minor. The aforementioned performers were complemented by mezzo-soprano Kateřina Hebelková and the Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno.
With his nine completed numbered symphonies, Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) perfected the Romantic symphony and in many ways also pointed the way for his followers in the twentieth century. His Symphony No. 3 in D minor for alto, women's and children's choir and orchestra was completed in the summer of 1896 in his small working house on the shores of Lake Attersee in Steinbach (around 50 km east of Salzburg). This monumental composition is not only Gustav Mahler's longest work, but also the longest symphony in the standard concert repertoire (its performance lasts approximately 100 minutes). Symphony No. 3 is divided into two parts and six movements, the first part being the very first, more than half-an-hour movement, while the second part comprises the remaining five movements. Mahler did not like to describe his symphonies verbally, as he did not want them to be perceived through a descriptive programme. In the case of the Third, however, in his letters and verbally he outlined its programme in quite specific terms: it is the idea of the creation of the world in which "the stones speak first, then the flowers, the animals, man, the angels and lastly God the Creator", as he told Czech composer Bohuslav Foerster; it is a journey from lifeless matter through the birth of living nature and humankind to all-embracing, transcendental love.
It will always be a slightly risky venture to present a work of this size. Holding the audience's attention for nearly two hours without a break is a difficult task, no matter how good the composition. It's a pleasure to say that Filharmonie Brno conducted by Dennis Russell Davies pulled this off wonderfully. The first movement could have done with a bit more drive, but this was remedied in the second part. Symphony No. 3 thus kept up a very pleasant pace, the tempos were well chosen, and the orchestra managed to hold the audience’s attention. In addition to praising the Filharmonie as a whole, it is important to mention certain musicians and sections. Concertmaster Marie Petříková put on an impressive performance right in the first movement with a beautifully executed violin solo, which was later repeated with similar success. The brass section was perfectly in tune throughout and there were only a few minor hesitations throughout the whole piece. The playing was exemplary, both from the flugelhorn solo played from backstage by Ondřej Jurčeka (originally written for the post horn), as well as Jaroslav Zouhar’s work with the trombone. And we mustn’t overlook the flute section, to which Mahler assigned both unison and four-part chords on four piccolos at the end of the fifth movement - a tuning challenge that the musicians handled perfectly.
Equally successful were the performances of both choirs, i.e. the Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno led by Petr Fiala and the Kantiléna children's choir headed by Michal Jančík. Although both choirs were only heard in the fifth movement, their parts were well sung. The singing was excellent and there were no errors in intonation. The solo part, performed by mezzo-soprano Kateřina Hebelková, was likewise intonationally flawless, and the singer also showed some absolutely exemplary diction.
The interplay between all the components of this monumental work performed by Filharmonie Brno, the soloist and both choirs worked perfectly. The conductor chose pleasant tempos, the musicians’ work with dynamics was excellent, and there were no problems in harmony even in the more significant tempo changes. Filharmonie Brno therefore made a beautiful start to the new season, and we can only hope that the opening show will be followed in a similar spirit by all the subscription concerts.
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minor for alto, women’s and children's choir and orchestra
Kateřina Hebelková - mezzo-soprano
Kantiléna, children's choir with Filharmonie Brno
Michal Jančík - choirmaster
Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno
Petr Fiala - choirmaster
Filharmonie Brno
Dennis Russell Davies – conductor
Sunday 14 September 2025 at 7:00 p.m., Janáček Theatre
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